If you're a Potterhead like myself, this weekend marked a fantastic (no pun intended) moment in your life. I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them this past evening. I was already crying in the parking lot from the pure excitement of getting to see this film in theaters. (For you see, I became a Potterhead far too late in life and was only able to see the Deathly Hallows movies in theaters, so the experience of seeing this film was exhilarating). I even had to take a selfie with my ticket because the nerd is strong. Trying to find a way to put into words just how powerfully and wonderfully profound this film really is.... it's hard. It's nearly impossible to write it in a way that expresses my thoughts on paper, but it boils down to this; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone” for the Harry Potter generation grown. Fantastic Beasts is a prime example of a well-executed spin-off. Sadly, nine times out of ten the long-awaited expansions of our favorite universes let us down in unforgivable ways. We crave so much more because of how strongly we resonate with and love these heroes and to see just a few minutes more is a need that captivates us for years to come. To put it simply, spin-offs are major let-downs. But when it comes to Fantastic Beasts this isn’t the case at all. The epic return to our beloved wizarding world is everything you'd ever want and so much you didn't know you needed. We get to head back to a place many of us call home, a place we’ve come to know and love. J.K. Rowling has done a tremendous job expanding our beloved HP Universe with the first installment of her Fantastic Beasts series. ![]() Profound seems to be the word that comes to mind when I think of this film. To say something is profound is to describe something that penetrates one's being. Much like many countless others, the wonderful world of Harry Potter touches many people right to their cores. The world of FB is rich, colorful, vibrant, and most importantly familiar. It feels like a Harry Potter movie, but it doesn’t try to be a Harry Potter movie. It exists in the same breath-taking world, but lives a powerful life of its own. Fantastic Beasts did it right. In many ways it feels like watching Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time again, but appropriately more mature and innovative for the grown-up audience it tries to reach. There’s a nostalgic sense of wide-eyed wonder with just a hint of lingering darkness around the corner. Everything feels new and there was a sentimental innocence and sense of curiosity, for both the audience and the absolutely adorable and unlikely hero we find in Newt - a role in which Eddie Redmayne shines brilliantly (as always). I felt like I was stepping back into Hogwarts for the first time, but the world was so much more than a castle with moving hallways and talking pictures - it was THE world. The perfect metaphor for how far the brand, nay the legend, has come since a time when only a few across the pond had heard the name Harry Potter. The story is so much bigger than it was before; it’s a world-impacting story that took an average wizard with a big heart, social awkwardness, too much love to give and no one to give it to (he's adorable, plain and simple) and thrusts him into the wide and wonderful world of American wizardry. The best part is, we get to tag along for at the ride and discover it all alongside him. He's a new hero for a brand new and powerfully written era of wizardry. I appreciated the fact that the unlikely heroes were just a rag-tag group of nobodies doing their best - entirely relatable and perfectly cast (much like the main trio from the HP stories of our childhoods). The main foursome isn’t a desperate attempt to be another Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. Newt, Queenie, Tina, and Jacob are individually developed (with much love I might add), colorfully crafted, and masterfully written. I could spend hours talking your ears off about how simply profound and entertaining this movie was. And honestly, I wasn’t even THAT mad about the three minute Johnny Depp interruption (okay I was pissed, but that’s not the point). The movie was everything I hoped it would be and more. ![]() The movie begins with the rise of Grindelwald to world-wide infamy, and young Newt Scamander finds himself in the big, overwhelming world of New York City. Leather case in hand with the titular Fantastic Beasts tucked neatly away within. He's on his way to Arizona, to release one of his rescued creatures back into the wild, deep in the heart of a country on a mission to exterminate magical creatures. The wizarding world in the early-1900s is much different than the world we see Harry experience - it's a world of paranoid secrecy, witch-hunting cults, and the ownership of magical creatures is crime enough to get your wand snapped and your curious little self thrown in jail. Enter young Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, a misfit ex-auror for the MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) who is just trying to make a difference, and No-Maj (AKA Muggle) Jacob Kowalski, a down-on-his-luck ex-military man hoping to achieve the American dream - opening up a bakery. These two have a chaotic meeting with Newt that spirals into a crazy, exhilarating chase through New York to recover the escaped beasts. Add Tina's quirky, sheltered sister Queenie, who is a telepathic witch with a bubbly personality, and you have an incredible recipe for a masterful main cast. It's a dark world, this 1920s New York, a world where magic-kind is forced underground and stands on high alert for all-out-war to break out at any moment. I won't spoil anymore, because it's surely one to be experience with as little revealed as possible. The plot is filled with bright and colorful creatures, an absolutely hysterical mating dance distraction courtesy of Mr. Redmayne, and completely innocent young love. All the while darkness begins creeping through the alleyways and undergrounds of New York city. It's a fun way to be swept into the world before one of the most notorious villains in modern history wreaked havoc upon it. The movie has no shortage of star-power, bringing an incredible cast of unique characters to breathtaking life against a stark background of darkness. There are even enough fun Easter Eggs (like Newt's childhood friend with the surname LeStrange, a Deathly Hallows charm passed between two important characters, and so much more I won't spoil for you, dear reader). It's altogether wonderful and worth seeing on the big screen as soon as possible, I can't recommend this film to Harry Potter fans enough and could go on for days about this film. It was a welcome addition to the powerful wizarding world which I - and a great many others - hold so very dearly. ![]() Written by Alycia D. (MaybeMockingbird ) All pictures are copyright J.K. Rowling and Pottermore. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is currently playing world-wide in theaters everywhere.
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